Twice Accused Priest Pleads “not Guilty”

SNAP
June 2, 2014

http://www.snapnetwork.org/mo_twice_accused_priest_pleads_not_guilty

Archbishop's pal back in court on July 21

He allegedly molested a city boy & Lincoln County girl

A St. Louis archdiocesan priest who has been accused of molesting two children pled “not guilty” this morning in a city courtroom.

Fr. Joseph Jiang, who is reportedly very close to Archbishop Robert Carlson, made a very brief court appearance at 8:58 today. Fr. Jiang's attorney refused to speak with a reporter this morning after the hearing.

This is the second time Fr. Jiang has been arrested on child sex charges – once in Lincoln County and now in St. Louis city. In June 2012, he was accused of fondling a teenage girl (under 17) on four occasions. Those charges were later dropped

In April of this year, Fr. Jiang was arrested again and charged with two felony counts of first-degree statutory sodomy involving a boy younger than 14 at Cathedral school between 2011-2012.

Fr. Jiang, free on $150,000 bond, now lives at the Dominican Priory on Lafayette near Grand, just six minutes away from the Cathedral parish, where he allegedly met and hurt both the girl and the boy.

“This is a recipe for disaster. Carlson needs to put Fr. Jiang in a remote, secure and independent treatment center far away where he'll have no access to kids,” said David Clohessy of SNAP.

“It's possible that Fr. Jiang sexually assaulted this boy while Fr. Jiang was living at this same priory,” said Barbara Dorris of SNAP. “He's obviously not being restricted or supervised or monitored, which is extremely reckless.”

Fr. Jiang is reportedly very close to Archbishop Robert Carlson.

The hearing was set for 9:01 a.m. before Judge Theresa Counts Burke in the Carnahan Courthouse. But Fr. Jiang entered the court room at 8:58 and quickly pled.

Fr. Jiang is free on $150,000 bond.

One of Fr. Jiang's victims is represented by attorney Ken Chackes.